Wymondham firm bids to make it Stateside

PUBLISHED: 09:21 06 February 2008 | UPDATED: 14:24 14 July 2010

A bin-cleaning company that started life in Wymondham has spread its wings by launching in America - and having tackled the US's most difficult market, it is now set for further expansion across the country.

A bin-cleaning company that started life in Wymondham has spread its wings by launching in America - and having tackled the US's most difficult market, it is now set for further expansion across the country.

VIP Bin Cleaning was founded in Norfolk in 1997 and has since opened franchises in Australia, South Africa, Botswana and New Zealand.

Its latest franchise opening was in California last year, and its managing director said its successful experience there

stood it in good stead as it looked for future opportunities in the

US.

"It was an important franchise for us to launch because it is the most difficult place in America for a UK franchise to start," said Mark Harvey.

"The franchise laws and regulations are more stringent in California than anywhere else in the world.

"South Africa and Australia have more stringent regulations than in the UK and we already had experience of setting up franchises in those places, but things are just so much more difficult in California.

"The only way we were able to go into California in the first place was because of the experience we had already picked up elsewhere in the world. If we'd been going for our first licence, we'd have never attempted it there."

VIP is a business that cleans domestic and commercial bins in an environmentally friendly

way, using as little water as possible.

Mr Harvey said that breaking the back of California would make it easier for the business to launch in other US states.

He added: "We knew that state laws would be the most demanding from a business-compliance point of view, but we now have a platform from which to roll out the VIP brand nationwide, creating yet another major milestone for the company."

To that end, VIP is sending a delegation to the International Franchise Expo in Washington in April, where it hopes to find more opportunities to extend the franchise.

The California licence has been awarded to husband-and-wife team Vivek Gaur and Simi Bhachu, and Simi's brother Hardeep Bhachu.

The trio are aiming to expand the operation from Pleasanton, near San Francisco, across the state.